Rabbit Behavior

Whoever came up with the phrase "dumb bunny" didn't know rabbits. As the new caretaker of a
rabbit you will soon learn what bunny enthusiasts already know. Rabbits are intelligent,
curious, sometimes stubborn and fun-loving animals that make loving and entertaining companion
pets.

The rabbit warren - Respect me, love me, worship me

Rabbits organize their warrens according to a specific hierarchy that generally puts the female
at the top. Once the matriarchy has been established, a pecking order follows. Even if there
are only two rabbits, one will be dominant, although this is not always the female. Once the
dominance is established, the rabbit caretaker will be able to detect the warren strategy.

Rabbits "present" themselves to one another for acknowledgement and for grooming. If one of
your rabbits approaches a second and puts his head down, he is not the subservient one but the
dominant one, and is demanding to be groomed. And because they respect one another and the
established hierarchy, the second rabbit will generally commence to licking the dominant's
forehead and ears.

The established hierarchy, however, is not set in stone, and the dominant rabbit will often
become the groomer. Sometimes you'll find rabbits engaged in a struggle of "love me; no you
love me," and they struggle to thrust their foreheads under one another's chins. Sometimes
the dominant rabbit will generously agree to be the groomer. Sometimes the dominant one
refuses and instead insists upon a full-body grooming by stretching out in front of the other
rabbit to bask in worshipful adoration.

You should offer your grooming services by approaching the rabbit from above and gently
stroking the top of his head. If your offer is accepted, the rabbit will stretch his neck out
to meet your hand. If your offer is not accepted, the rabbit may turn from you or lunge at
your hand. If you receive the lunge, don't worry, you don't have an attack rabbit on your
hands. You just interrupted a fine session of play, sleep or lounging and have made a
nuisance of yourself. Don't force yourself on the rabbit and make the offer again later.

Rabbits will not even pass each other without acknowledging one another's presence by sniffing
and bumping noses. Rabbit owners may unknowingly violate this requirement if they walk past
rabbits without acknowledging them. You don't have to get down on all fours to bump noses,
but you should take the time to stop and give them a pet. After all, to a rabbit, it's just
simple respect.

Bunny love, how to pet rabbits and elicit tooth purrs

It is not respectful to pick rabbits up, and most are both fearful and angry if they are
suddenly grabbed and lifted off the earth. Rabbits do like to climb on furniture and will
sometimes greet you from the back of the couch, but being airborne is very scary. It is much
better to sit on the floor and let the rabbit come to you. Likely he will come near you,
present himself to you for nose petting, and climb all over you. You might even receive a
little licking yourself, and that means you've not only been acknowledged as dominant, but
you've been accepted into the rabbit warren.

Even if they don't like to be picked up, rabbits still like to be petted. Once you've offered
your hand for a petting session, and have received permission, commence by stroking your
rabbit's forehead from the nose to the ears. You can extend the stroke up and over the
rabbit's back, but stay away from the sides and underside of the body. They don't like that
and will not hesitate to let you know.

You can create bunny heaven right here on earth if you commence a good session of long,
languid pets. You'll know you achieved nirvana if the rabbit starts gnashing its teeth
together very quietly. This is a "purr" that signals supreme happiness.

Off with you! Banished from the kingdom

While it's easy to make a rabbit very happy with some fine petting, it's also very easy to
offend the rabbit. Uninvited petting, playing that interrupts lounging time or failing to
show respect may elicit a response demonstrating how much the owner has offended the rabbit.

If you somehow engage in an offensive behavior, the rabbit will let you know by hopping away
from you and turning sideways. That's an indignant "well" response. They might hop away with
an exaggerated manner, flicking their feet at you. The exaggerated foot flick is a general
signal, used when your rabbit wants nothing to do with you - or when he feels he has
outsmarted you by grabbing his treat from your hand and dashing off with it.

Continued offensive behavior like pursuing the rabbit, thrusting your hand in front of his
face again, or trying to pick the rabbit up, will likely earn you the next response in the
offendedness scale. The rabbit will move away from you again and turn his back to you. You
have just been frozen out.

Although you should consider these actions a warning, if you proceed and continue with the
offensive behavior, you'll stretch the rabbit's patience. If you do that, you may earn the
last warning signs to back off, and the rabbit may put its ears back, growl, lunge at you, and
maybe even nip at your hand. Don't say you weren't warned.

While it's easy to offend a rabbit, it's also easy to be forgiven. Waiting a little while and
then offering some petting again will likely put you back in good graces. You can always try
the food approach because the way to a rabbit's heart is definitely through the tummy. A
veggie snack or a little piece of fruit might buy your way out of the doghouse - this time.

Get a job

Rabbits are hardworking and industrious, and if they could figure out how to hold a pencil
they would be filling out job applications and making phone calls. Until they develop
opposable thumbs, however, they will satisfy themselves with creative work at your house.
If you do not provide the rabbit with an activity, you might find he will occupy himself with
jobs you don't want completed: nibbling plaster walls, chewing telephone cords or digging in
the carpet. Remember that a bored rabbit is a destructive rabbit.

You can help avoid this destructive behavior by substituting activities, toys and projects.
You might find a second bunny helps curb this behavior. A bonded pair will occupy each other
and deter naughty activities. Use a variety of distractions like cardboard boxes, apple or
pear wood sticks, grocery bags filled with hay, crumpled newspaper, just about anything to
pique the rabbit's curiosity and provide an outlet for his energies. To draw him away from
naughty activities, try training him to respond to sound cues such as shaking a container of
pellets or papaya tablets to signal treat time.

Rabbits are very curious and will spend considerable time checking out their surroundings.
Just to keep things interesting, some owners periodically rearrange the rabbit's living space
or introduce new objects for fun.

Sleepy time

Rabbits are most active in the morning and evening. They sleep a great deal of the day and
will spend most afternoons blissfully napping. You will be able to determine how comfortable
the rabbit is by his posture during loafing or sleepy times. If the rabbit is just hanging
out, soaking up the atmosphere and having a generally relaxed time, he will lie down with his
feet tucked underneath himself. Some people call this the "meatloaf" position because the
rabbit has fashioned himself into the shape and size of a loaf pan.

A really relaxed rabbit will lie in various stages of comfort, sometimes on his side,
sometimes on his tummy with his feet stretched out behind him. The general idea is a happy,
comfortable bunny. The blissful rabbit will throw himself on his side or roll over on his
back, just for the sheer joy of it.

Play time

If days and nights are spent hanging out or sleeping, early mornings and evenings are for
celebrating and cavorting. Rabbits will be hungriest during these same hours, and may
alternate between eating and playing. Playful rabbits will run, leap in the air and toss
their toys. If given free reign of the house they may run up and down the stairs, jump onto
the sofa, down again, race down the hall and come back again. They might greet you by tossing
their heads up and to the side. That's general rabbit "speak" and is an invitation to play.
Accept the invitation, get out the toys and let the games begin.

Accentuate the positive / Aggression

You may not know about the life your rabbit lived before finding his way to your home. If the
rabbit was not treated kindly in his life before you came along, you might find your rabbit
acting out aggressively. The rabbit might growl, lunge at your feet as you walk past, or even
bite. Sometimes the rabbit may do all these things to protect himself from increasing
intrusion into his territory. If you find you're greeted by growls when you put your hand in
the bunny's cage, compare it to your neighbor walking into your home unannounced. You'd
probably growl too.

Treat aggression the same way you would treat "acting out" in a human child. Be calm, patient
and kind. Don't ever raise your hand to strike the rabbit. A stern "no" is generally the
best way to get your point across. You can stomp your foot or clap your hands to emphasize
your point.

If you have a rabbit that is prone to nipping your hand, try stroking his face from the nose
to the ears and gently pushing his head down at the same time. You'll prevent another nip and
give the rabbit the idea who is boss.

The ears have it: Reading your rabbit

Rabbits communicate in a variety of ways (see "growls" under Aggression, "side flops" under
Sleepy Time). But one of the most-used tools rabbits use to "talk" are the ears. Here is a
basic course in reading your rabbit:

Ears forward - "What's that you say?"

Ears back - Either "I don't like that," or "wake me for supper." Here it's important to know whether your rabbit is relaxed and resting or being threatened. If your rabbit puts his ears back, his tail up and growls, you'll know it's the latter.

One ear back, one ear forward - "I hear you but I'm not paying that much attention."

Nose nudge - "Pet me, pet me now" or "move, you're in my way."

Tooth clicking - "I'm so happy I'm purring!"

Nipping - Can be either a warning (see Aggression) or a way to groom since rabbits lick and nibble to groom each other.

Licking - "I love you" or "wow, you need a bath."

Lunging - If directed at you with ears back, chin forward and tail up, it clearly means "back off."

Circling - If your feet are being circled as you walk across the room, your bunny could be saying, "let's play!" If he has not been neutered or she has not been spayed, you're being targeted for love.

Dancing - A run followed by a jump and a 180-degree mid-air turn is an example of joyous abandon and says "Yippee!" This is known as a "binky".

Foot thumping - It could be a warning to you ("leave me alone") or a warning for you ("something is amiss here and you need to alert the others"). Something has startled your rabbit and he is informing the rest of the warren and trying to ward off predators with a big sound.